STAR SPANGLED BANNER

When two more states joined the original 13, the stars and stripes on the flag were increased from 13 to 15 on May 1, 1795. It was this flag of 15 stripes that flew over Fort McHenry the memorable night of its bombardment in 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the verse of our National Anthem. Let us honor it by singing the first verse of the song it inspired. The Star-Spangled Banner

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, Who so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there! O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

SCOUTMASTER’S MINUTE

Greetings! As the Scoutmaster of SR-947, let me thank you. It is my honor to serve you, because without you, this course would not be happening.

Some of the staff and I started serving you as early as two years ago. We already see our reward in you this weekend. It is great that a group of Scouters can come together in such a short time.

Thanks again, it has made my heart (and my head) swell to be associated with a group as fine as you. Yours in Scouting……………… from H.

SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE MORNING 7:00 Breakfast 8:00 Assembly – Gilwell Field 8:30 Interfaith Worship Service (Instructional) 9:30 Troop Meeting 11:00 Troop Presentation AFTERNOON 12:00 Lunch 1:00 Patrol Leaders Council 1:30 Conservation Project Planning 2:30 October Sky 4:30 Closing Assembly – Gilwell Field 5:00 Patrol Meetings and Departure

THE SIEGE OF MAFEKING Part Two of Five

War was declared on 11 October 1899, and by 13 October the town was surrounded by the Boer forces, cut off by rail and telegraph from the outside world. Baden-Powell would have to improvise...

When the siege of Mafeking began, the British regiment was outgunned, outnumbered, and cut off from the outside world by an army of more than 6000 Boer soldiers. But Baden-Powell was in charge of the defense, and he was an expert at the "Game of Bluff". Many years before Mafeking, B-P had disguised himself as a butterfly hunter in Dalmatia, and spied on the forts and defenses of the enemy. Whenever he met an enemy soldier,

`with my sketch book in hand, I would ask innocently whether he had seen such-and-such a butterfly in the neighborhood, as I was anxious to

catch one. Ninety-nine out of a hundred did not know one butterfly from another - any more than I did - so one was on fairly safe ground in that way, and they thoroughly sympathized with the mad Englishman who was hunting insects.' (Baden-Powell)

What the officers did not notice was that Baden-Powell's sketches of butterfly wings included maps of their own forts and defenses. One of the first priorities was to prevent the Boers from storming the town, because they could easily overpower the flimsy Mafeking defense. But Baden-Powell deduced that the Boers were afraid of minefields...

So, to confirm the Boer fears, B-P got strings of the town's inhabitants to carry metal boxes around the town, with dire warnings not to drop or bump them. Hundreds of these were buried on the outskirts of the town, and the areas marked with warnings for the inhabitants and cattle herds to stay clear. Then he warned the townsfolk to keep inside while the new mines were tested.

With everyone safe indoors, Major Panzera and I went out and stuck a stick of dynamite into an ant-bear hole. We lit a fuse and ran for cover until the thing went off, which it did with a splendid roar and a vast cloud of dust. Out of the dust emerged a man with a bike who happened to be passing, and he pedaled off as hard as he could go for the Transvaal, eight miles away, where no doubt he told how by merely riding along the road he had hit off a murderous mine. The boxes were actually filled with nothing more dangerous than sand. (to be continued…)

DOES SCOUTING MATTER? As an elementary school child, I always looked forward to school holidays, especially Thanksgiving. At Thanksgiving, we got out of school at noon early in the week, and my family always headed to our family hunting camp for the holiday. On the day we got out of school for Thanksgiving in 1963, my teacher came into the room. She had been crying, and she was struggling to speak. She told us that President John F. Kennedy had just been shot in Dallas. It was hard to grasp that anyone would want to shoot this man. He was a war hero, the skipper of PT-109, our president, and the man who had gotten the missiles out of Cuba. His picture was on the wall of our schoolroom. What shaped this man’s character? How did he grow into this confident figure who commanded the free world? The influences he had as a young boy helped shape him into the man he became. He was influenced by his family, his church, and his Scout leaders. Scout leaders just like you. Here is a short letter the young Jack Kennedy wrote his father in 1929, asking for a small raise in his allowance. (No editing or spell-checking has been done.) The letter shows plainly the changing priorities of this future world leader. After reading young Jack’s letter, ask yourself this one, simple question: Does Scouting matter? A Plea for a raise By Jack Kennedy

Dedicated to my father J.P. Kennedy Chapter 1 My recent allowance is 40 cents. This I used for areoplanes and other playthings of childhood but now I am a scout and I put away my childish things. Before I would spend 20 cents of my 40 cents allowance and in five minutes I would have empty pockets and nothing to gain and 20 cents to lose. When I am a scout I have to buy canteens, haversacks, blankets, searchlidgs [searchlights] poncho things that will last for years and I can always use it while I cant use a chocalote marshmellow Sunday with vanilla ice cream and so I put in my plea for a raise of thirty cents for me to buy scout things and pay my own way more around. Finis, John Fitzgerald Francis Kennedy

This rock, stationed strategically near the entrance to Mafeking Hall, is the perfect weather indicator, it never fails. It is more accurate than your local weather person. This rock is 100% correct. This is how it works: A dry rock means fair weather. A wet rock means it's raining. A dusty rock means a dust storm. A swaying rock means it's windy. A shadow under the rock means it's sunny. A white rock means it's snowing. If the rock is jumping up and down, an earthquake is upon us. If the bottom of the rock is under water it's a flood. If the rock is missing, it’s a tornado.

THE UTES ARE

COMING!!!

THE UTES ARE

COMING!!!

WEATHER ROCK SAYS

Cold (high 20’s) in the morning, warming to high 40’s by mid-afternoon. Skies should be clearing during the day. Of course, this could all be wrong.

PATROL NEWS

TROOP GUIDE REPORT Days One and Two have come and gone, and now we are beginning Day Three, where we are seeing our patrols learning and growing as a TEAM. Each patrol has diversity – male and female participants, from different walks of life, leading different types of scouts, but we all have a common ground – THE BOYS!

Each one of us are honored to serve as your Troop Guide for SR-947.

“The Lizards”: Artis, CeCe, Dale, Julie, Melanie, and Liz

FOX PATROL Awesome quotes, as recorded and reported by the Fox patrol.

• Know before you go

• It’s your attitude that matters.

• Attitude reflects leadership.

• When the time to present is present, the time to prepare is past.

• Proper prior planning prevents pitiful poor performance.

We are really happy to have enjoyed the company of Mark Guyton at lunch and Charlie Plasters at supper. We’d like to thank them for sharing their time with us.

EAGLE PATROL Introducing the Eagle team: Hurricane Katrina, DeWayne In The Rain , Dan the Man, Ty the Guy, Mark the Shark, Dale the Male, and Ken… Amen! The Eagle totem continues to develop… an outstanding team effort. Remember that a sharp pocketknife is essential for a Boy Scout! Thanks to Dan for setting the standard as Eagle patrol leader. A special thanks to the Wood Badge Youth Staff for spending their weekend in our service! As always at Camp Seminole, the chow has been outstanding. Thanks Young, Perry, and all other grubmasters. To all staff… Thank you for a motivating campfire Friday night, and especially to Perry for an udder brilliance, and Gary for becoming Lord Baden-Powell.

BEAVER PATROL Beaver Patrol would like to say how honored we are to have Artis Ford, Scoutmaster of Troop 27, as our Patrol Guide. He brings 20 years of scouting experience to our table. Russ Hayes, our Patrol Leader, is Asst. Scoutmaster of Troop 14 and has 10 years of Scouting under his belt. Susan Aycock, Asst. Patrol Leader, brings 40 years of Scouting around the world to lead her Pack 14 Webelo Den. David Franz, our Chaplain’s Aide, is Cubmaster for Pack 14, and uses his six years of Scouting wisely. Scribe Curtis Hollingsworth also has six years of Scouting, and is the Cubmaster for Pack 30. Mike Remotigue, Cubmaster of Pack 27, and Bubba Forrester, Webelo leader of Pack 27, have 10 and five years of Scouting experience, respectively. This brings the total Scouting experience of the Beaver patrol to 97 years!

BEAR PATROL Flash! We’ve added our table totem! The Bear Cheer We are big We are strong Wood Badge is Where we belong! (Hey, Boo Boo! The Bears are here!)

BOBWHITE PATROL IN VERSE As program patrol twas Bobwhite, Led the others in song just in spite. Of the inclement weather, That appears it will never, Clear off ‘til late Sunday night.

OWL PATROL The Owls started their second day by enjoying a large, wonderful breakfast prepared by Mr. Young Kerby and staff. Then, we took a field trip to the Pushmataha Council’s Scouting Museum. At the museum we saw previous wood Badge patrol projects. We also viewed many artifacts which document Scouting as a whole, as well as local history. Thanks to our Scoutmaster, B3AR, for giving our council such a great resource! Next, the Owls learned about diversity, leadership, styles, team growth, and project planning. Then, all patrols reached for the sky with their rockets! The Owls rocket flopped, but we’ll soar higher than an Eagle… at night! We moved on to planning tickets and our patrol project. The Owls just keep rockin’ along! Hootie Hoo! (Scribe Note: the scribes are impressed by the Owl’s blunt honesty in assessing their rocket. “Scribe Kudos” to the Owls for their forthrightness.)

THANKS, B3AR The Eagle Patrol would like to thank Scoutmaster B3AR Ellis for demonstrating that in rocket design, size does matter.

ERRORS AND OMISSIONS DEPT.

Be advised that the Scribe Staff doesn’t make errors or omissions. However, if we had made any in the past two days, we probably would have done something really thick-headed, like claiming Dale Tate worked at a bank where he doesn’t work (He works at Bank First. We would never report otherwise.). We would also tell you to pronounce Julie Via’s name incorrectly, instead of the correct pronunciation, which is “Vie”. Aren’t you glad we don’t make errors like these?

YOUR PROBLEM IS EVIDENT A Scoutmaster stopped in to see his Psychiatrist. "Doc you've got to help me. I keep having the same dream over and over again, and I can't get rid of it." "Tell me about your dream," the psychiatrist inquired. The Scoutmaster responded, "The first night I dreamt about wigwams. The next night I dreamt about teepees. Then wigwams. Then teepees, then...." "Wait I minute," the psychiatrist interrupted. "I think I know what your problem is. You're just two tents."

THE MEMORIES OF SCOUTING

During the first weekend of your Wood Badge course, you’ve encountered many images of Scouting. You’ve seen photos of Lord Baden-Powell. Think of all the other images you’ve encountered this weekend. Wood Badge beads. Campfire ashes. Mclaren tartan. Tan neckerchiefs. The sign. Patrol flags. It’s a long list of memories, too long to list here. The memories that may mean the most to you may be the ones you get to take home, the memorabilia of your own Wood Badge course. Your own Wood Badge beads and neckerchief will mean a lot to you, but don’t miss out on your ONE opportunity to have SR-947 memorabilia. SR-947 pens, personalized coffee cups, cool course t-shirts, and other memorabilia are available only briefly. Don’t miss your chance to take these tangible images home with you at the end of the course! All of these items are available in limited quantities, so place your order this weekend. Special order items such as the cups and t-shirts CANNOT be ordered after this weekend.

TICKETS! GET YOUR TICKETS! By now, you’ve had time to think about the five parts of your Wood Badge ticket. For some folks (okay, most folks) this can be a little intimidating. Ready for some good news? What the staff wants from you by the time we leave Sunday afternoon is five good, general ideas of what you think your five ticket items will be. They’re not expecting five detailed ticket items, but instead, just five ideas of what your ticket items will be. You’ll have three weeks before the next Wood Badge session to think about these ideas, finalize some thoughts, and make sure these are the goals you want to meet for your ticket. Want more good news? You won’t be alone in your planning. In addition to your troop guide, you’ll also have a staff ticket counselor help you with your five goals. By the time the second weekend is over, you’ll have five completed items for your ticket, helped along by your troop guide and your staff ticket counselor. Even after the second weekend, you’ll have these two people to help you as you move toward completing your ticket items. Every staff member is ready and willing to help you plan your general ticket ideas today. Don’t hesitate to ask, we’re ready to help! Isn’t that good news? We think so, too!

HOW MANY BEADS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB? Once you’ve completed your Wood Badge ticket, one of the outward signs of your accomplishment will be the presentation of your Wood Badge beads. You’ll receive two beads, which indicates you have successfully completed the Wood Badge training course. After serving on a Wood Badge staff, you are presented with a third bead to indicate your have been a staff member. If you are selected to serve a course as Scoutmaster, you will have the rare privilege of wearing four beads. Four is the most beads a Scouter can be presented. There are two exceptions. Green Bar Bill (William Hillcourt) wore five beads. The Scouter who is responsible for maintaining Gilwell Park, home of the Wood Badge program, is entitled to wear six beads, the same as Lord Baden-Powell.

LION PATROL Two Scouts were walking through the woods when suddenly a mountain lion leaped out in front of them. The first Scout cautioned the second to remain calm. "Remember what we read in the Scout Handbook. If you stand absolutely still, and look the lion straight in the eye, he will turn and run away." The second Scout said, "Fine, you've read the Scout handbook, and I've read the handbook, but has the lion read the handbook?"

The Gilwell Gazette is an official publication of SR-947. The Scribe Staff does not guarantee accuracy, especially of materials submitted for publication in the later stages

of Wood Badge Time. The staff reserves the right to be arbitrary when choosing articles for publication, and will accept or reject submissions on a whim, even though we really, really want to publish your articles, poems, artwork, etc. Schedules and times listed are subject to modification and changes with or without notice, reason, or logic. When all else fails, do what the SPL tells you to do (it will make him feel like he is important). Remember the backbone of Wood Badge is the Scribe Staff, regardless of anything told to you by other Wood Badge staff members.